Knights of the Old Republic: The Dark Lord Rises
by JourneyRocks13
Summary: Revan chose to join with Bastila in the temple. The story begins with him and Bastila getting back to the Ebon Hawk with their friends and allies
1. The Dark Lord Rises

**The Dark Lord Rises**

Revan led Bastila down the grassy path toward the crew of the Ebon Hawk. Much to his surprise, the entire crew, droids and all, were waiting outside the ship for them to return despite the scalding heat and blinding sun. Carth noticed them first and sprinted up toward them.

"Bastila! You're alive! I was worried about you. For a minute there I was sure we'd never see you again once Malak got his… w… wait a minute! Where are Juhani and Jolee Bindo? Are they okay? What happened inside that temple?" Carth exclaimed. Walking back toward the Hawk with Revan and Bastila.

"They didn't make it" Bastila responded with a shrug.

"What? What are you talking about?" Carth demanded. Bastila looked up at Revan and he shrugged before motioning for her to tell them.

"The Jedi Council has failed, Carth. Darth Revan has been reborn! Together we will destroy Malak and seize control of his fleet, then use it to crush the Republic! Jolee and Juhani would not swear loyalty to the new ruler of the Sith. They died for their foolishness. Now, swear loyalty to Darth Revan, or face your own death!" Bastila exclaimed, raising her lightsaber as a call to arms.

"What? No! We serve the Republic! You're no better than Malak! We'll never swear allegiance to one who serves the dark side!" Carth shouted back. Revan only chuckled.

"Only you serve the Republic, Carth. You don't speak for the others" Bastila told him. She looked to Revan again and he motioned for her to continue. She gave Carth a little smile before continuing.

"The droids will continue to serve you, Revan. They are programmed to obey their master. And there may be others who will choose to join us. The Republic is doomed, Revan has returned! Who will now swear loyalty to the second coming of the Dark Lord?" Bastila exclaimed, raising her lightsaber in the air again. Revan shook his head and chuckled at her again.

" _Shut it, Revan. I'm working here!"_ Bastila snapped through their bond. The sound of a throat clearing stopped Revan from retorting. It was Canderous; he had stepped forward.

"You're Revan and I'll follow you anywhere. It doesn't matter who you're fighting against, I'll be at your side. Mandalorians don't have any great love for the Republic anyways. I thought I had no purpose anymore after killing Jagi, but now, this could give me purpose again. Light side, dark side; it doesn't make any difference to me, Revan. I'll stick by you no matter what comes" Canderous promised, clasping hands with Revan before moving to stand behind to his left, opposite of Bastila.

"I saw what the Sith did to Taris! Anyone who serves the dark side is evil! Big Z and I are with Carth on this one!" Mission shouted, turning everyone's attention back to her.

"No, Mission. I am bound by the oath of my life debt. I must stand with Revan" Zaalbar moaned.

"Zaalbar, Revan's a Sith! Just like Malak! It's not betrayal if you break your life debt now!" Mission begged.

"If I go back on my vow I am betraying myself, my people, and my ancestors. I cannot do that. Please, Mission. Join us" Zaalbar begged.

"No, Zaalbar. I don't care! I won't help the Sith against the Republic! Not for anything! Not even for you!" Mission cried. Zaalbar was going to interject, but Carth intervened.

"You don't have to help the Sith, Mission. Not while I'm here. I see now it was a mistake to let you go into that temple. I of all people should have seen this coming. First Saul Karath, and now you. I mean, I should be an expert on betrayal by now! But nothing you can say or do can make me betray the Republic. I won't join you, and I won't just stand aside and let you become ruler of the Sith again, Revan! Run for it, Mission! Go! Go!" Carth said before running off.

Revan looked at Canderous and gave him a nod. He did the same for HK-47 before turning back to Mission.

"You're all alone, Mission. Swear your loyalty to Darth Revan!" Bastila commanded.

"No! I'm not going to just stand aside and do nothing. You'll… you'll just have to kill me. But I don't think you will. I don't believe you've gone over to the dark side. Not totally. I don't think you'll kill me. Not if I don't attack you first!" Mission told him. Incensed, Bastila moved to cut Mission down, but Revan stepped in her way, shaking his head. Bastila backed up and returned her lightsaber to her belt, albeit begrudgingly.

Revan turned toward Mission and smiled at her before walking up to her. She backed up a few steps until she tripped on a fallen tree and fell on her back, but Revan didn't lay a hand on her. He stopped right in front of her and got down on one knee.

"Mission, do you remember what I told you this morning before I left for the temple?" Revan asked her. She looked at Zaalbar who was standing out of earshot with his head covered with his paws. Shaking with fear, she nodded.

* * *

It was early morning on the Ebon Hawk. Revan was the only one awake. He was sitting at a little table that he had used the Force to put together right outside the Hawk, facing the water, away from the ship. He had a bowl of "soup" in front of him, just stirring it with a spoon. He hadn't eaten any of it in the hour he'd been sitting there. Suddenly, he felt somebody jump on his back.

"I gotcha, Avner!" Mission shouted in his ear. She had never been comfortable calling him, Revan, despite his requests. For the first time since Bastila was captured by Malak, Revan felt his shoulders start to shake and a laugh escape from his lips. It wasn't long before he started laughing without control. The teenage twi'lek moved to sitting next to him and smiled. Revan put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Mission. I really needed that" he told her. She smiled at him and put an arm around him, squeezing back. They were silent for a few moments before Mission couldn't take it anymore.

"Everything is going to be different after today, isn't it?" she asked. Suddenly, his smile was gone and he looked at Mission with eyes that were much older than he actually was.

"Yes, Mission. Everything will be different after today. I don't know what is going to happen inside that temple, but I am confident that today will go in our favor. I will be leaving for the temple in a little bit. I tried to eat, but it didn't go very well if you can't tell" he joked, gesturing at the spilled "soup" that was in front of him.

"Sorry about that" Mission giggled, turning her head away from him.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't eating it anyways. Mission, can I ask you an honest question?" Revan asked her. She looked at him with confusion in her face and nodded.

"Sure, Avner. I've been honest with you this whole journey. Why stop now?" she asked him.

"Mission, how are you doing? Honestly. You've been through so much these last couple months and I know you have been keeping it all buried away inside you. Mission, be honest to me. How are you feeling?" he asked. Mission hesitated before answering him.

"I haven't really had time to think about it, to be honest. To be honest, Avner, my entire body aches. I've been shot and hit and smacked around these last few months more than I have in the rest of my life combined. I still can't believe my brother is gone. And, I've been thinking a lot about the future, about what's going to happen after you beat Malak. We are all going to separate. Zaalbar is going to go back to Kashyyyk. Carth is going back to the Republic. Me? Taris is gone and I don't want to see Griff ever again, so I don't really have anywhere to go" she poured at him. She looked at him with wide eyes, breathing hard, trying to keep calm.

"Well, why don't you just stay with me and Bastila?" Revan asked.

"You'd actually want me to stay with you?" she exclaimed. Revan looked at her and sighed.

"Mission, of course I'd want you to stay with us! You're the little sister I never had. I've never told anybody this, but my mom was pregnant when my family was killed by the Mandalorians on Deralia. Ever since then, I've had this feeling that I wasn't meant to be a big brother. I had Meetra as an older sister, but I never had the opportunity to have a younger sibling. Ever since I saved you from Brejik's thugs back on Taris, I've thought about you like my little sister. Where I go, you're welcome to be with me" Revan told her. She responded just by wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a bone crushing hug. Revan felt his tunic start to get wet with tears and he patted her shoulder. She whispered a thank you to him as she pulled away, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"But, if you end up following me and Bastila into a bedroom, I swear I will disown you!" he teased. In that moment, her tears turned to giggles and then laughs. She lightly pushed his shoulder as he stood up. He didn't lose his balance or anything, but he narrowed his eyes and moved to tickle her side for a few seconds, causing her laughs to erupt. But, as quickly as he began, he stopped. Mission kept laughing even after he stopped.

"I'll see you soon, little sister" he whispered before he was off to the temple.

* * *

"How can I join you now? You're not the same person you were this morning!" Mission shouted. Revan reached his hand out for her.

"Mission, think about it. You never knew your parents and your real brother is slime. Zaalbar has to stick by me because of the life debt, but I know he will want you with us as well. Mission, you are my little sister and I love you. Please, don't turn me away" Revan begged her. She hesitated a moment before shaking her head again.

"Malak is a Sith and he destroyed Taris! How can you expect me to join you? A Sith?" Mission asked him.

"Mission, I'm not Malak. I cut off Malak's jaw when he destroyed Telos. I'm not the same Sith as Malak. You trusted me before, Mission. Trust me now!" Revan begged. He saw the wheels turning in her head and reached his hand out to her again. This time, she took it.

"Alright. I will trust you, for Zaalbar and for the sake of the galaxy, but if you do anything that makes me think you will be like Malak, I'm going to make you kill me!" Mission promised. Revan smiled at her and turned toward the crew.

"Excellent! Let's get to the Star Forge! We've got work to do!" Revan told them. As he finished speaking, he saw Canderous and HK coming back, dragging the bloody body of Carth Onasi behind them. Revan looked at him.

"Tie him up and place him in the cargo hold. HK, you are responsible for watching him until I tell you otherwise. As for the rest of us, let's get to the Star Forge" Revan ordered.

The real battle was about to begin.

* * *

 **Author's Note: My first Star Wars story in a long time. First thing, I want to apologize to everybody who has been waiting for updates for my old stories and new stories as well. I've been going through an on again off again battle with depression and it has affected relationships with my friends and my family as well as my ability to write.**

 **I don't know if this is going to be the start of me getting back to writing again, but this idea just came to me today and I had to post it. Please review and let me know what you think of this, any errors I might have missed in my writing and any tips you might have to improve my writing as well. You can even just review to say hello! I would love to hear from everybody who reads this. It would mean a lot to me, so please review and I hope to write more for you all soon!**


	2. The Star Forge

**The Star Forge**

When the crew was on the ship, Canderous shut the ramp and went for the gun turrets, Zaalbar right behind him. Mission, Bastila, and Revan went to the cockpit while T3 went to fix the hyperdrive.

Mission sat down in the pilot's seat right before Bastila was about to do so.

"I've been watching Carth this entire journey. I think I know how to do this by now" Mission told them. Bastila looked at Revan who shrugged and walked back to the center of the ship to access the situation. As they got there, T3 gave out an affirmative beep to let him know that the stabilizer was fixed.

"Did you hear that, Mission?" Revan asked.

"Yeah, we're on our way!" she shouted back. With a nod, Revan gestured for Bastila to start the communications. She looked through the sensors of the ship and saw the Republic fleet had started to engage the Sith.

"The Republic Fleet must have got the message Carth sent as you were crashing onto that planet. Maybe we can use their arrival to our advantage. If Malak is distracted by the attack, we should be able to get in close enough to dock on the Star Forge and hunt the Dark Lord down!" Bastila suggested as she accepted a transmission request.

"This is Admiral Forn Dodonna to the Ebon Hawk. Do you read us?" The Republic High Admiral hologram came to life.

"Admiral Dodonna, this is Bastila Shan of the Jedi Order. We are receiving your transmission" Bastila replied.

"It is good to hear your voice, Bastila. We had thought you were lost to us. Carth's transmission reported that Malak had taken you prisoner" Dodonna told her.

"The Jedi sent to rescue me from the Dark Lord did their job well – though I am sorry to report Carth did not survive the mission" Bastila said.

" _That's twice now I've rescued you_ " Revan teased through their bond. Bastila merely shook her head. When a blaster attack shook the Ebon Hawk, Bastila had to fight the urge to take the controls from the teenage twi'lek.

"His loss is a great blow to the Republic. We could have used him in this battle. We were about to pull back. We're taking heavy losses against the Star Forge" Dodonna explained. Highly alarmed, Bastila looked over to Revan who was shaking his head as emphatically as he could without Dodonna noticing.

"Don't pull back, Admiral. You have to attack the Star Forge now, otherwise the Sith will use its power to destroy the Republic" Bastila told her.

"I'll try to press the attack but we can't hold out much longer! Not unless you use your Battle Meditation to turn the tide" Dodonna ordered. Then she looked behind her and Master Vandar walked into the picture.

"This is Master Vandar. A number of Jedi Knights have joined the fleet, under his command" Dodonna told them. Revan merely chuckled.

" _As if we don't know who Vandar is!_ " Revan said through the bond.

" _Shut up and focus! We need to get some information!_ " Bastila snapped back.

" _We will be dead before we get all the information we need_ " Revan muttered before Bastila shut the bond.

"Bastila's power could help you win this battle, Admiral, but it will mean nothing if Malak escapes. Destroying the Star Forge is secondary to stopping the Sith threat once and for all" Vandar suggested.

"What are you proposing?" Dodonna asked.

"A small squadron of Jedi Knights in snub fighters could penetrate the Sith blockade and dock on the space station. If they can find Malak we can end the threat of the Sith forever" Vandar told them. Bastila had to hold back her own smirk.

"I'll order the fleet to press the attack and provide some cover for your fighters. But what of Bastila and her battle meditation?" Dodonna asked again, refusing to let go her best chance.

"Bastila, you and the Padawan should join us. We will need the combined strength of our entire Order to defeat Malak" Vandar ordered.

"As you wish, Master Vandar" Bastila conceded.

"And May the Force be with us" he said before the transmission ended.

"The fools! Even Master Vandar did not realize you have reclaimed your identity as the Dark Lord! The Jedi Strike team and the Republic forces will provide the perfect distraction as we hunt down your ex-apprentice. And once we have slain Malak, I can use my Battle Meditation and the power of the Star Forge to crush the Republic fleet. All our enemies will be destroyed in a single glorious day!" she cried. Then, it was back to work.

"Get to the cockpit and help Mission dock on the Forge. We will need both of you working together to land this thing" Revan ordered. Bastila did so as Revan moved toward the turrets.

"Watch out! We are going to land on the Star Forge with a group of Republic fighters protecting us. Careful not to give our position away yet" Revan ordered. He got confirmation from both Zaalbar and Canderous before he went to the cockpit to join Bastila and Mission.

* * *

When they had landed on the Star Forge, the entire crew gathered in the main hold for their assignments.

"HK, you are going to stay on the ship. Guard Carth and make sure he doesn't escape. I would prefer him to be alive when I get back, but if he tries to escape, make sure he doesn't. Keep the ship safe at all costs, if this goes sour we will need to escape at moment's notice" Revan ordered. The rust colored droid agreed before going back to the cargo hold where Carth was still unconscious on the ground.

"Mission, you are going to take T3 and Zaalbar to the central control room. This datapad has a map that I got from the rakata computer that should take you to the computer. Malak will likely be locked up in the command center and I will need you to unlock the doors for us" Revan ordered, tossing her the datapad and a commlink, both of which she put in her backpack with a smile.

"Canderous, you and Bastila come with me. We will take the fight to Malak directly" Revan said. Canderous grabbed his repeater and gave Revan a smirk. It was time.

* * *

Revan, Bastila, and Canderous had just gotten to the command center when Revan's commlink went off.

"Avner, it's Mission. We are ready to unlock to command center when you are!" Mission called.

"Do it!" Revan responded. Right on cue, the doors to the command center opened and the small group entered to see three Dark Jedi waiting for them. Revan leaped into the center of the three and killed one before they had even had a chance to raise their weapons in defense. The other two lasted longer, but a well-placed blaster bolt from Canderous and a force push right into Bastila's waiting blade ended the battle.

They went to move on when a huge explosion rocked the Star Forge. Revan turned toward Bastila and Canderous. All three knew what needed to be done.

"The Star Forge is under assault form the entire Republic Fleet! If I don't use my Battle Meditation to turn the tide, Admiral Dodonna's capital ships will destroy the Star Forge! I have to stay here in the command center so that I can best use my Battle Meditation against our enemy. If I don't, the Star Forge will be lost! You must go to face Malak without me. Find him, kill him, and reclaim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith!" Bastila said.

"Take care of her, Canderous. Protect her like you would protect me, and then protect her better than that" Revan ordered. The Mandalorian nodded, then Revan used the Force to shut the door behind him as he went off to find Malak.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Republic command ship, the effect of Bastila's Battle Meditation was clear for all to see.

"The tide of the battle is turning against us. The entire Sith fleet reacts instantly to our every strategy. Every fighter and capital ship attack in perfect unison. I've never seen such military precision!" Dodonna exclaimed.

"I have, but never from the Sith. It's almost as if… NO! Bastila is using her Battle Meditation against us!" Vandar realized.

"What? Impossible! She's on our side!" Dodonna snapped.

"Not anymore, Admiral. I sensed something different about Bastila during her transmission, but I thought I was only feeling the evil presence of the Star Forge itself. I see now I was wrong. Bastila has turned to the dark side, Admiral. You have to give the order to retreat" Vandar said, hanging his head in shame.

"I can't do that. This might be our only chance to destroy the Star Forge – we can't withdraw. We can't" Dodonna told him. It was clear in her voice how desperate she was becoming.

"Then you will lose" Vandar told her.

* * *

It was a long battle in the Star Forge factory, but Revan had the upper hand on Malak. Suddenly, Revan kicked Malak's hand and sent his lightsaber flying. Before Malak could react, there was a purple lightsaber in his stomach and another one pointed at his throat. He fell to the ground in pain, knowing that he lost.

"Im… impossible. I… I cannot be beaten. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith" Malak wheezed.

"No, Malak. I am the true Sith Master!" Revan told him, giving him a small smirk as he pulled both his lightsabers back and put them back on his belt.

"Yes… I cannot deny it any longer. You are the one who deserves… who deserves to be the Dark Lord. You were the one who found the first Star Map on Dantooine, Revan. It was you who lead us on our quest for the Star Forge. I only followed in your wake. I tried to usurp your rule, to steal the title of Sith Master from you. But now I understand… the destiny is yours, Revan. Not mine. You… you are Darth Revan. Lord… Lord of the Sith. And I… I am nothing" Malak admitted through his coughs.

"The apprentice has learned his final lesson" Revan teased.

"And so it ends as I somehow always knew it must: in darkness. Good luck against the Emperor, Revan. Eventually… eventually he will come" Malak said before falling on his stomach, all breath extinguished from his lungs.

Revan's eyes got wide and he tried to wake Malak to get information on the Emperor, but there was no chance. Malak was dead. And try as he might, Revan couldn't wake him. And he also couldn't find anything in his memory of an Emperor.

As he turned away from Malak, Revan gulped and took a nervous breath before walking back to the command center.

* * *

The Republic fleet was decimated. The battle was nearly over. It was just up to Dodonna to admit it to herself.

"We've lost another capital ship – it's hopeless! All Republic forces pull back! Pull back!" she exclaimed. Vandar only shook his head.

"It is too late to retreat, Admiral. The Sith armada has cut us off. There is no escape for us now" Vandar told her. She looked back to the view screen and saw that he was right.

"Then the Republic is doomed" she replied, hanging her head alongside him.

It wasn't long after they finished talking that the Republic command ship blew up in a display of fireworks that would be enough to jump start any party.

All that was left to do was clean up the loose ends.

* * *

Revan made it back to the command center to see Canderous shoot a Sith soldier in the skull. It was the last one in the room.

Revan put his hand on Bastila's shoulder, breaking her concentration and making her look up at him with an annoyed look. He sensed her emotions and gave her a small smile.

"The battle is won. The Star Forge is safe. Let's go back to the Hawk and figure out what we are going to do with Carth" Revan told her. Reluctantly, she stood and nodded, wavering a bit from her exhaustion before falling into step next to Revan. He was standing in front of the command center view screen and pulled out the commlink.

"Mission, I'm going to record a message. I need this all over the Star Forge and Sith fleet above. I want every Sith camera and commlink in this system" Revan told her.

"Hang tight for one second while I connect you to the network… got it!" Mission told him. Then, Revan started his recording.

"Attention citizens of the Empire, this is Lord Revan. I have reclaimed control of the Empire and have killed Malak. Soon, our invasion of the core worlds will commence. We have experienced a great victory tonight starting with the death of Malak. But, in the biggest military attack in history, Republic Admiral Forn Dodonna has died as well. Without her to lead the attack, the Republic will be in shambles. I would like to thank you for all your faithful service to the Empire since I have been gone. Rest assured, things will be back to normal again now that Malak is out of the way" Revan said. He gestured for Bastila to join the picture.

"This is my apprentice, Darth Bastila. She, like Malak before, is my second in command and will be treated with the same level of respect that you gave him" Revan said. He then gestured for Canderous to come in as well.

"This is Canderous of the Mandalorian Clan Ordo. From this day forth, he will be the top general of the Sith fleet. I am confident that his knowledge of military strategy and his experience from forty years of battle will help us win the war and end the Republic once and for all" Revan continued before gesturing for the two to exit the frame so it was just him.

"For now, recover and gear up. This victory may be sweet, but this is not the final goal. Remember that" Revan finished, cutting off the transmission.

He looked over to Bastila and Canderous who were surprised at what they had just heard. He raised a hand to stop their questioning before he led them out of the command center and toward the elevator to the central control room where he knew an angry teenage twi'lek would be waiting.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, you can all thank the Australian Open Final for me being awake to write. Rafael Nadal is back in the final, and he's playing Roger Federer. It's like I'm a little kid again, watching these guys play in a grand slam final again.**

 **As I played through KOTOR again in the past few days, I received an increased desire to continue this story and develop the dark side ending into something more to my liking. I have a couple plans for this story, but not to the finish of the story.**

 **I apologize for not writing nearly as much, but the last few months I have been battling depression full on. Every day I fight through it and my writing is not the only thing has suffered. My health has suffered as well as many of my friendships. My work performance has slipped a little bit as well. As a result of the trials I have been going through in my life, I cannot promise that I will provide consistent updates to any of my stories. But, just know that I am still around. I still am around to read stories and answer private messages.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has contacted me in the past few months during my hiatus from writing. It is good to know that there are still people looking to read KOTOR stories and I'm not the only one. So, thanks for reading and (hopefully) reviewing as well. And I hope to see you soon.**


	3. The Aftermath

**The Aftermath**

Revan steadied himself before walking in to the Central Control Room where he was met immediately by a glaring Mission Vao.

"What was that about?" she asked, hands on her hips and tapping her foot impatiently.

"If the invasion of the Republic stalls, how will the members of the Sith Empire trust me? Trust Bastila? Trust any of us?" Revan asked her. She didn't answer him.

"The Republic is not a solution. They are a problem. The Senators only care for lining their pockets. They control the Republic, not the citizens. Why do you want them to stay in power?" Revan asked her.

"They… I…" Mission started but Revan held up a hand to stop her.

"Think about Taris, Mission. Malak was the one who destroyed Taris. The Republic didn't do anything about the living conditions on Taris before that, did they? Why do you think that is?" Revan asked. She was silent.

"The Republic doesn't care about worlds that are out of its control. That's a big thing that I want to change about this galaxy. We need to be united so we can be strong against anything that follows. We will invade the Republic and reform the galaxy to be strong" Revan told her.

"What is my part in this? Are you just going to get rid of me now that you don't need me anymore?" Mission asked. Revan looked to see the vulnerability in the teenage twi'lek. He gave her a small smile.

"How can you think that we don't need you anymore? Without you, I never would have been able to get to Malak in time. He would have escaped. Or worse" Revan told her.

"But" Mission whispered.

"You have a set of skills that we need, Mission. Without every single one of us working together, this quest for the Star Forge would have failed" Revan told her.

" _Revan, what are you doing? You're working too hard for her!_ " Bastila hissed through the bond. He didn't get a chance to respond, however, because another voice interrupted.

"He's right, you know. We do need you, kid. Your talents are different than mine, or Revan's, or Bastila's. A war cannot be won with clones, Mission" Canderous said.

"I couldn't have said it better myself" Revan added, putting his hand on Mission's shoulder.

"I have a feeling I shouldn't, but I believe you" she told him. He smiled and motioned for the whole crew to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Mission asked.

"I deactivated the six battle droid generators before I fought Malak. I need them activated again. Think you can handle that?" Revan asked her. She nodded and followed him. It was a tense walk to the droid chamber, but an uneventful one.

"T3 and Zaalbar can stay with you. I will send a protocol droid for you shortly. Have fun" he told her. Mission nodded at him and Revan left with Bastila and Canderous in tow.

"Where are you taking us, Revan?" Bastila asked.

"We get to go to a meeting with some of the Empire's advisors. Time to see who we have left from the battle as well as who Malak left that we can trust from when I used to be the dark lord" Revan explained.

* * *

Bastila followed Revan into the conference room with Canderous to her right. The table was a rectangle with three seats at the head and seven chairs on each side. Only three sides of the table were used as there was a galaxy map on the other side of the table.

Bastila sat down to the left of Revan and Canderous sat on Revan's right before she saw that there were three seats out of the fourteen that were empty. Bastila looked over the table, idly wondering how many of the remaining people Revan remembered. She was brought out of her thoughts when Revan cleared his throat and she saw that he was raising his arm to settle the room down. It sure worked wonders for him.

"Well, I have no idea who any of you are, so how bout we start this meeting off with a little introduction. I'll start. My name is Revan and I am the Lord of the Sith and leader of the Empire" Revan told them.

"Uh, I am Darth Bastila, apprentice to Revan" Bastila said, looking at Revan with a raised eyebrow.

"I am Canderous of the Mandalore Clan Ordo. I have been appointed the top General of the Sith fleet" Canderous toned, holding back a chuckle at the look on the faces of the men and women around the table.

At that point, Bastila zoned out and waited while the rest of the members in the room introduced themselves. She felt Revan squeeze her leg as he contacted her through their bond.

" _I know you don't want to be here, but you might need to talk here too_ " Revan told her.

" _You know I hate talking at these war meetings!_ " Bastila snapped back through their bond.

" _Yeah, well I hate walking in the rain, but I do that for you_ " Revan teased. Bastila shut off their bond there and bit back her anger at him bringing that up.

"What are we going to do about our invasion now, Lord Revan? This battle has crippled the Republic fleet. We should press on before they regroup!" one of the men to Revan's right said.

"The Republic is doomed. Whatever speed we invade, they won't regroup. They lost 90% of their fleet today. They are likely drafting an article of surrender as we speak. I say we allow them that chance and save the Empire more lives lost" a woman on the other side of the table argued.

"General Ordo, you served at Mandalore's side during the Mandalorian Wars. You pushed the Republic to within one battle of destruction. What do you think?" another woman asked.

"Every circumstance in every battle is different. Even a single change that may look minor compared to the greater picture can alter a war. While it would seem that we can attack unopposed, the Republic likely set up precautions just in case something went wrong. I say we shouldn't wait for the article of surrender, but we shouldn't race right to Coruscant. Even with every advantage that we currently have, one loss could set us back and cost more lives than rushing would save" Canderous said.

"I couldn't agree more. Our biggest targets on the way to Coruscant are Corellia, Taris, Malastare, Manaan, Alderaan and Mustafar. I figure if we split ourselves into two groups, we can meet up in the middle. One group will take Mustafar, and Corellia while the other will take on Malastare, Alderaan, and Taris. Manaan will be the most difficult because the use of overwhelming force is frowned upon to say the least" Revan said.

"Do you think we should wait until after the Republic is beaten to conquer Manaan then? They were not willing to back off their neutrality at all when we were there. I highly doubt a change in Sith leadership will change their mind" Canderous asked.

"Alderaan should be an easy target. Their defenses are not very advanced, and a large percentage were shipped off to join the Republic fleet when the Sith invaded" Bastila interjected. She wanted to speed the meeting up with any means necessary.

"Lord Revan, what of the Hutts? Our spies have reported that they have been moving more and more aggressive ever since Malak bombed Telos. Losing both Zax and Ajurr did not sit well with them" one of the women on the left said.

"Admiral Kaas, what do you know about the Hutt Clan? Have they ever been aggressive like this before?" Revan asked. Another woman answered. She looked to be the oldest person sitting at the table. Bastila squeezed Revan's thigh and sent through the bond pleas to hurry the meeting up.

"The Hutts are only aggressive when they see an opening in the establishment, when they know that there will be limited recourse. If we are able to gain complete control of the mid rim, the Hutts should retreat back to their own territory" she responded.

"We shouldn't make an enemy of the Hutt Clan, Lord Revan. They are ruthless and show no care for anybody except for themselves" the first woman interjected.

"You aren't wrong, Lieutenant Foxx. But, the Hutts can be controlled by fear. They are cowards and if we push the Republic back as fast as we intend to, the Hutt Council will either retreat back to their own territory or be in prime position to be taken out" Canderous told her.

"It is settled then. Darth Bastila and I will lead one group to Malastare, Alderaan, and Taris while General Canderous will lead another group to Mustafar and Corellia. Hopefully we will finish around the same time and we can attack the core before too much longer. Your assignments will be sent out before the night is over. Until then, rest up" Revan said. The room emptied and Bastila let out a sigh of relief until Revan spoke again. She had to fight back a groan.

"Lieutenant Foxx, wait a moment. I would like to speak with you" he said. The woman in question noticeably paled as she walked up to them and bowed. Revan waited until the room was empty before he spoke to her.

"You seem to know the Hutts better than most. How do you know them so well?" Revan asked. Immediately, the young woman started to quiver and shake, her nerves exploding through her pores.

"I, well… you see… I, they" she stammered before looking to the ground.

"Speak clearly, girl. If you have information for the war effort, we would like to hear it" Canderous said.

" _Revan, must we keep doing this? Can't we go to sleep?_ " Bastila through the bond. Revan ignored her. While Bastila was talking, she didn't notice the woman mumbling and looking at the ground as Canderous was questioning her.

"Please, tell us what you know of the Hutts" Revan prodded. Again, the response was mumbling. This time, Bastila had seen enough.

"You know something about the Hutts. Quit wasting our time and just spit it out already or I swear you will be strapped to a slab and the information will be taken!" Bastila shrieked. Foxx looked up with wide eyes for a moment and then they narrowed to slits.

"I was a slave to the Hutts for 7 years of my life. I know what they are all about and what they will do for something they want. They won't stop. They will never stop. I know you have never experienced anything like this, basking and hiding in your Jedi Temple for your entire life, but those of us living in the real world haven't had that luxury. You think torture can break me? ¼ of my life was torture" Foxx snapped. Bastila's jaw dropped, she didn't move.

"One last question before you go, Lieutenant. Everybody else around the table are either Generals or Admirals. Why are you here?" Revan asked.

"I served under Admiral Karath until he was killed on the Leviathan. I only survived because I was here on the Star Forge at the time. Since almost all Karath's crew were killed, it fell to me to take his place at these meetings" she explained, holding her temper as best she could.

"I see. Well, you will travel with General Canderous to Mustafar and Corellia. We will see how far up the ranking you will rise. You are dismissed" Revan told her. When the door closed behind her, he turned toward Canderous and Bastila. Bastila was still shocked silent at what she was told, while Canderous merely had a faraway look.

"Canderous, I will have a droid sent to your quarters in the morning to take you to your new flagship. Train Ms. Foxx well, she has promise" Revan told him. The Mandalorian nodded. Revan got his commlink out and called for two droids to show them all to their living quarters. Finally, they could rest.

Bastila and Revan were taken to the same room. Bastila went directly for the bed, but Revan sat down at the desk to a map of the galaxy. It was already coded, Empire in red and Republic in blue.

"Revan, come to bed" Bastila begged.

"I won't be long, Bas. Go ahead and get some sleep" Revan told her. It didn't take any convincing. Bastila was asleep almost instantly, but Revan did not move, only leaving his desk for caffa. Occasionally, he would take glances at Bastila who was sleeping soundly on her side toward him, but he never stopped working.

That is, until he had an idea. He pulled out his commlink and called for HK-47.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know it has been months, but life has just gone straight to hell for me. Learning to be an adult has been much more difficult than I would have anticipated and many things, writing not excluded, have taken a back seat in my life. I have started working on the next chapter and am hoping that I will be able to figure something out with balancing everything in my life.**

 **I really am sorry for how long this took, and I really do think that I will get the next chapter up sooner rather than later. If you have any ideas, or simply want a conversation, feel free to send me a message. I am normally good at responding to messages, overall.**

 **To all who continue to read this story, thank you for sticking with me. And I hope you enjoy.**


	4. The Hidden Truth

**The Hidden Truth**

Revan pulled out his commlink and called for HK-47. It took a couple moments, but the assassination droid finally answered.

"Query: what is it, master? Is there a meatbag you want disposed of? Am I finished babysitting your prisoner?" HK asked, his voice appearing hungry.

"HK, meet me on the command level in the main computer room. I need you to take me somewhere" Revan told him.

"Extrapolation: and you need backup for where I am taking you? I will be there immediately, master!" the droid exclaimed. Revan shook his head and hurried to meet with HK. The droid was there waiting, and Revan smirked when he knew the droid would be able to see it.

"HK, I didn't call you here to kill anyone. I need you to take me to my quarters, back from before I was captured" Revan told him.

"Irritated statement: master, this is a waste of my programming, master. I am a highly skilled droid with the ability to kill anyone you ask. But you have called me here to take you around the Star Forge like a tour guide? Have I not been fulfilling my programming, Master?" HK asked.

"Actually, HK. You exist to serve me. Now, take me to my quarters or ill demote you to Mission's protocol droid" Revan teased.

"Resignation: you are a very cruel master, master. Follow me" HK said, hanging his head as much as his frame would allow.

HK led Revan into the elevator and told Revan to place his hand on the panel. Revan did so, and HK typed in a six-digit code. 033148. The elevator went up nearly all the way to the top of the Star Forge before it stopped. The elevator door opened to reveal another door with a computer to the side. Revan tapped the screen and a series of questions came up.

"HK, do you know the answers to these questions?" Revan asked. The droid looked at the screen and said that he did.

"Tell me the answers and I will type them in, then" Revan ordered.

What planet was I born on? _Deralia_

What is my last name? _Surik_

What is my sister's name? _Meetra_

Who is Darth Traya? _Kreia_

What is the greatest evil in the universe? _Slavers_

Where is my favorite planet to vacation? _Naboo_

The screen went blank and Revan tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open. He looked to the screen to see that one more question came up.

Why did I choose to attack and take over the Republic?

Revan looked to HK, but the droid shook his head.

"Resignation: I don't know the answer to this one, Master" HK told him.

"Very well, HK. You can go back to whatever you were doing before I interrupted you" Revan said, turning back to the computer before HK could respond. He took a deep breath and typed his answer.

 _Because the Emperor told me to._

He looked back to the computer and it said "Error. Incorrect. Warning, two more incorrect answers will result in lockdown and expulsion.

 _Revenge for the Mandalorian Wars._

The computer gave him the same error message except that he only had one more chance to open the door.

 _To take over the Republic._

Revan looked back to the computer and an error message came up again. "Further explanation required." He took a deep breath and gave the only answer he could think of.

 _To be strong enough for a fight with the Emperor._

Revan heard the door unseal and he let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He walked into the room and the lights came on immediately. He looked to his left. There was a small kitchen with a table and a stove. He slowly turned to the right to see a television, a couch, and a leather recliner that he wanted to go over and sit in immediately.

He turned again and saw a large desk with papers all over it, shockingly well organized. Past the desk was a huge and comfortable bed that he looked forward to sleeping in. But he went right for the desk. Right on top of the desk was a datapad. Revan took the datapad and brought it over to the big leather recliner before turning it on. When he saw the first line, he almost dropped the datapad in shock.

 _If you are reading this, then my plan was successful._

Revan took a deep breath and looked back down at the datapad before continuing to read.

 _If you are reading this, then my plan was successful. Malak will have betrayed me when he saw that Bastila and her Jedi strike team had reached the bridge. He will have taken control of the Sith and the Star Forge. I have included in this datapad all the plans I had for the galaxy after returning to the Star Forge._

 _I couldn't include all memories in this datapad, only the most important. But the finer details on how to stop the Emperor will be up to you. I can lay the groundwork, but the details are yours. Good luck, Dark Lord of the Sith._

Revan took a deep breath and went to the next screen. It was a contents list.

My distant past

Meetra

The Gray Jedi

The Revanchists

The Emperor/The True Sith

The Republic

The Star Forge

The Sith Empire

Bastila

The first place he went was to the screen about Bastila.

 _The Jedi Council sending Bastila was a great risk, but one that was worth it since you are here reading this. As close as we were when we were younger, Bastila's loyalty will be worth so much more than nearly any other. The Jedi Council presumably wiped her mind of our past at the same time as reprogramming mine._

 _If they did that as I have anticipated, then you will need to give her proof and likely go into her mind and free those memories. This will be easiest done when she is asleep. The Jedi Council wouldn't risk removing those memories as it could change her personality and her loyalty as well as perhaps even destroying her mind completely. So, the memories are presumably boxed up in the back of her mind. She won't know that she is even missing anything, so it will be up to you to release those memories and bring my best friend back._

Revan stopped reading at that point and reached into Bastila's mind through their bond, seeing that she was still asleep. He found his way into her memories quickly and searched through them, keeping one eye open for her discovering him.

Over ten minutes into his search, he found a locked away section in Bastila's memory. He moved around the locked section finding that there was one lock on one side, the only thing holding back the memories from breaking free

" _Revan, what are you doing in my mind?_ " Bastila exclaimed. Revan cursed under his breath, his entrancement in the box breaking his concentration on blocking himself from Bastila's senses.

" _Bastila, you will thank me for this later_ " Revan told her. Before she could respond, Revan put his hand on the lock and sent Force Lightning through the lock, breaking it open in an instant. The rush of memories sent Revan out of Bastila's mind. Through their bond, he could feel the shock to Bastila's mind and could almost feel her pain.

He put the datapad into his pocket and hurried over to the desk, taking the picture frame standing in the background and hurrying back to his old room, using the Force to lock the door behind him.

Using the Force to augment his speed, Revan got back to the room and entered quickly. Closing and locking the door behind him, he turned to see Bastila's body convulsing on the bed. He was next to her in a moment. He took her hand and held it. Her eyes were open, but not seeing. Her body was shaking, and her muscles were tense.

"Bastila, please. It's Revan. I'm here" Revan told her through one of her screams. She tore her arm away from Revan and curled into a little ball, shaking harder and harder until she went limp.

"Bastila?" Revan asked. He waited a moment before calling to her again. After another tense moment, she turned back to him.

"Revan? What happened?" she asked, holding her head. Revan sent a healing burst at her head. He used the Force and grabbed the picture frame off the ground. He gave it to her and she gasped.

"So, it's true, then?" she asked. He nodded.

"The council kept your memories hidden away, just like they did with mine" he explained. She blinked a few times and he saw that her gray eyes had turned blue.

"How did they do that? Wouldn't I have noticed?" she asked.

"My theory is that the Council did it while they were wiping my mind. You will have been so focused on me that you wouldn't have noticed them boxing away certain memories" Revan explained. Bastila put her hand back on her head and closed her eyes. Revan sent another healing burst at her, but she used the Force to send it back to him.

"Does that mean that your memories are boxed up inside you like mine were?" she asked. Revan paused a moment before he shrugged.

"I am not sure, Bas. The Council likely wouldn't have cared as much about my personality. But I don't know for sure" Revan admitted. Bastila sat up and got into a meditative stance.

"I would lay down, Revan. This is likely going to be very uncomfortable" Bastila told him. He chuckled and stretched out on the bed, closing his eyes.

Bastila used their bond to enter Revan's mind, searching through his mind for his memories. She looked around and found a box like the one Revan found in her mind. It was just much, much bigger. She moved up to the lock and inspected it. She took a deep breath and felt the power in her stomach before shooting it out through her arms and fingers like Malak taught her. Force Lightning engulfed the lock, breaking it open.

The memories exploded out of the box, sending Bastila away faster than she could control her body. She went through Revan's mind until her consciousness ran into another locked box. This one was different. She went around it, seeing that the box was blue at the top, gray in the middle, red at the bottom. Most of the box was gray. She thought about it for a moment, but then used force lightning to break the lock off this box as well.

 _Further authorization required. What color are the angel's eyes?_

Confused, Bastila thought back to her memories and then decided to take a shot.

"Blue" she said. Then the box burst open. She was sent out of Revan's mind in an instant to see him thrashing around on the bed. His body was convulsing and shaking, Bastila tried to approach him, but was thrown back by an energy barrier around him. Shock and terror took over as Bastila looked at Revan's body levitating into the air above their bed.

Just when Bastila was going to approach him again, a large burst of energy was sent from his body, while Bastila was momentarily blinded by the blast.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Depression is back again, but it didn't stop me from writing this time. I am so excited for this story and for the first time in well over a year, writing has helped me cope instead of added stress to me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I would love some more reviews of some suggestions, new ideas, questions about the story. Or even just people to talk to, friends are always nice to have.**

 **I am already working on chapter 5, so I hope there won't be too long a wait for it this time. As always, thank you to everyone who reviews and thank you for sticking with me. I look forward to updating soon and hopefully talking with at least some of you as well. Until then, enjoy.**


	5. The Revanchist

**The Revanchist**

When the Force energy drained away, Bastila saw Revan standing in front of her. She hopped to her feet and rushed to Revan's side.

"Are you alright?" she demanded, putting her hand on his chest and in his hair. He nodded as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"That box didn't hold my memories, it held a power reserve" Revan told her. Her jaw dropped. She reached out to the Force and found his Force signature. He was surrounded on one side by the brightest blue that she had ever seen while the other side was a dense, dark red. His body was pure gray. Bastila opened her eyes and she saw Revan smiling.

"How?" she asked, unable to really describe anything else. This time, Revan had no explanation.

"Come on, let's order some breakfast. I think we have both earned some after the days we have had" he told her. Bastila didn't argue, simply motioning for him to lead the way. The two sat down at the little table in their quarters and before they knew it there was a large breakfast in front of them.

"So, the Star Forge can mass produce ships and gourmet breakfasts? The Republic never really stood a chance, I see" Bastila teased.

"The Star Forge is only as powerful as its Master" Revan responded, taking a bite of his eggs.

"So you're saying Malak was a bad cook?" Bastila asked.

"I would be surprised if Malak knew how to turn on the stove" Revan told her. She was silent. When she was half way through her meal, she finally brought up the elephant in the room.

"How is it that I found a power reserve?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Was I the one who locked it up or was it the Jedi Council?" he asked instead. She smiled.

"Well, I had to answer an authorization question to release it" Bastila told him.

"That doesn't surprise me. But it doesn't answer my question" he replied.

"The authorization question was 'what color are the angel's eyes?' I can't see the Council asking that" Bastila explained.

"How did you know I was talking about you?" he asked. She didn't answer.

"Do you feel different?" she asked, taking the last bite of her omelet.

"I feel the Force far more clearly. I can feel the light side and the dark side in me together" he told her, though he hesitated at the end.

"I feel balance, Bastila" he admitted. She was shocked.

"Impossible, the dark side is stronger than the light. The dark side will always triumph over the light!" Bastila exclaimed. Revan bit his lip. He had to be careful, he could sense Bastila's anger.

"The dark side is stronger in combat, yes, but I feel stronger than I did before" Revan told her.

"Well then I must have let out some dormant dark side energy" Bastila argued. Revan didn't respond. He lucked out by his commlink going off.

"Go for Lord Revan" he replied into the commlink.

"Lord Revan, your new flagship has been stocked and loaded. It is ready to go when you are" the static filled voice told him.

"Copy that. I will be there shortly. Revan out" he replied. Bastila was already up, putting her robes over her casual clothes. She grabbed her backpack and Revan grabbed his before they left.

* * *

The next day, Revan's Sith fleet was in orbit around Malastare in a heated battle with a small Republic fleet. Bastila knelt in her battle meditation next to Revan as he looked out at the battle, surveying it all.

" _Bastila, focus your energy on those two Republic command ships. If we get rid of one more, they should retreat_ " Revan told her through their bond.

"Admiral, launch Beta group. Focus on the Republic command ships" Revan ordered. A couple minutes later, there was only one Republic command ship left. Revan smiled and turned back to the Admiral.

"Keep up the attack, but keep me updated if the Republic wants to surrender. Make sure they can't escape" Revan ordered. The Admiral passed on the orders and shortly after, the viewport was filled with another explosion. The last of the Republic command ships had been destroyed.

"Obliterate them" Revan ordered. The Republic fighters were surrounded and without their command ships there was no organization. Every single Republic fighter was destroyed. At that point, Bastila left her battle meditation and Revan looked over to the admiral.

"Admiral, how did the battle go compared to our predictions?" Revan asked. The admiral looked at the view screen before reading the synopsis to Revan.

"My Lord, the battle went much better than we expected. Our predictions were that one command ship and 35% of their fighters would either escape or surrender. But every command ship was destroyed and less than 1% of their fighters escaped" the Admiral said.

"And on our end?" he asked. Bastila had gotten to her feet and was holding on to Revan's arm to keep her footing.

"Much better than expected, my Lord. We estimated that 2 of our command ships would be destroyed and additional two disabled as well as 35% of our fighters would be destroyed. But we only lost 15% of our fighters and have one disabled command ship. I have never seen such a one-sided victory! We are even 3 hours ahead of schedule" the Admiral explained. Revan smiled and put his hand on Bastila's shoulder.

"Do you want us to move to jump, my Lord?" the lead captain asked.

"No, no, Bastila needs to rest up before we jump. Her battle meditation is exhausting. We will need her at full strength for Malastare. How long will it take to get the _Reverent_ up and running?" Revan asked.

" _Revan! I don't need to rest, we need to push forward!_ " Bastila snapped through their bond.

" _Bastila, I want you at full strength for Malastare. We need to show the Sith that you are truly on our side_ " Revan replied. He could feel Bastila's anger through their bond, but he ignored it.

"Our diagnostics team says that it will only take an hour to be ready to jump. Three of the eight engines are disabled, but none are destroyed. Their deflector shield is at 55%. The biggest issue is that decks 4-7 all have hull breaches, but those can be ignored if we need to jump" Admiral Makashi said. Revan thought for a moment before responding.

"Leave whatever crew we need to completely repair that ship. Do as much as we can to help. We jump in an hour. If that ship is not repaired by the time we jump, we will leave a repair crew here. We won't need them for Alderaan, but we will for Malastare" Revan ordered.

"If we are going to leave a repair crew here, why don't we jump for Alderaan now? Surely we don't need to wait for something as insignificant as magic powers!" Admiral Vass said. Bastila was fuming, but neither she or Revan had a chance to respond.

"I remember how you always used to blame Bastila for all your defeats, Admiral Vass. Yet you won't give her credit when she is on our side? I think this is a _YOU_ problem more than anything else" another person interrupted. Revan started to laugh at that.

"Who are you, girl?" Revan asked as Vass approached the girl.

"Captain Amylea Winbrat, my Lord" she replied as Vass stood over her.

"Normally, I wouldn't tolerate insubordinance like that to a commanding officer, but since Admiral Vass did deliberately insult Darth Bastila, I will overlook it this time. My orders stand. We jump to Alderaan in an hour" Revan ordered.

This time, there were no arguments.

* * *

Revan was on the bridge and Alderaan was below. There was no Republic fleet here, only the Alderaan planetary defense. If it wasn't for all the hyperspace lanes that passed through this system, the planet would be useless and the Sith wouldn't even bother with it. Obviously, though, the Republic wasn't worried about hyperspace lanes anymore as they were retreating further into the galaxy.

The battle was so one sided that Bastila wasn't using her battle meditation. Instead she was surveying her strength for Malastare and watching Revan command the battle.

"Move one of our command ships. Point it directly at the capitol building, then open communications" Revan ordered. He then turned to Bastila.

"Start your battle meditation, but focus only on the people in the capitol building. Try to convince them to surrender willingly. I don't want to have to leave a garrison here" Revan told her. She nodded and knelt, doing as he asked.

It didn't take long for the call to come. It was the Queen. She was an older woman, likely having already ruled for decades.

"Lord Revan, Alderaan will submit to your Empire. You don't need to bomb the planet" she said.

" _Bastila, is she telling the truth?_ " Revan asked through their bond.

" _I don't sense any deception from her, which is surprising. But, she is likely capable of blocking her true intentions_ " Bastila sent back.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I will send my occupation to your palace in the next few minutes" Revan said, cutting off the transmission. Bastila stood up and looked at him confused.

"I thought you didn't want to leave a garrison here" she asked. He shrugged.

"You were right. Any Queen would likely be trained especially for dealing with Jedi. It wouldn't be wise to trust her with so many hyperspace lanes hanging in the balance in this system" Revan explained.

"Who are you going to leave? Vice Admiral Tuff is still having ship troubles. We weren't able to completely get the hull leaks repaired before jumping" Admiral Vass suggested. Revan shook his head.

"The Avenger has lost three engines. We don't have time to wait for it to be repaired. Captain Winbrat! Front and center" Revan ordered. The captain was startled but hurried up, kneeling in front of Revan.

"I need you to lead our ground occupation. You are to stay in the Alderaan Capitol building. If anything happens that makes you feel like the Queen will betray us, I want you to contact me. Can I trust you with this?" Revan asked. She looked up at him and nodded.

"I will not fail you, my Lord" she replied. Revan nodded.

"Then I want you off my ship. You have orders, Colonel Winbrat" Revan said, turning back to other things.

"Thank you, my Lord" she said, bowing her head one more time before leaving the bridge.

"Recall Vice Admiral Tuff. Send the crew of his ship to occupy the planet. Have him bring his vital officers, but the rest will be under the command of Colonel Winbrat" Revan ordered.

" _Revan, are you sure about this?_ " Bastila asked through their bond. He looked back at her and smirked.

" _Come on, Bastila. Trust me, she's got fire. That's what we need to handle an old, wise Queen_ " Revan replied. She eyed him warily, but didn't reply.

"Let's get ready to jump" Revan ordered. The final planet on this campaign was Malastare, and there was likely a Republic fleet waiting.

* * *

The Republic fleet surrounding Malastare wasn't as large as Revan anticipated. He expected to be outnumbered 3-2, but the battle started with numbers nearly even. Bastila started her battle meditation right away and quickly the numbers turned more in favor of the Sith.

" _Bastila, ignore the command ships. Focus completely on the fighters. Both our side and theirs this time_ " Revan ordered, turning back to the battle.

"Admiral Vass, rotate the fleet around the Republic. Cut off the lane to Coruscant at all costs" Revan ordered.

"Vice Admiral Tuff, coordinate the fighters. Work on thinning their lines. Send the second wave to trap the Republic. Pincer movement" Revan ordered. The battle was brutal. An explosion made Revan curse as the first of the Sith command ships was destroyed. 8 remained to take on the 5 for the Republic.

" _Bastila, time to attack the command ships. Reinforce the whole battle_ " Revan ordered. He could feel her exhaustion, but knew she had to press forward.

She could hardly hear Revan barking out orders to the fleet, but could feel her battle meditation working wonders.

Then, suddenly, she felt a bolt of energy hit her arm and she snapped out of her battle meditation.

"What was that for?" she demanded, glaring at Revan who shot a bolt of lightning at her.

"You weren't responding to anything. We thought you were going to pass out. The battle is over. We won, you did brilliantly!" he told her. She looked up to see many members of the bridge looking at her.

"We won?" Bastila repeated. Revan nodded and gave her a smile.

"Go rest up, you've earned it" Revan told her. She nodded and left the bridge, but not before catching one last glare from Admiral Vass.

Once Bastila had left the bridge, Revan turned back to the crew.

"We are going to leave two full garrisons here. Lieutenant Pars will be in charge until we can send a true takeover force. The rest of us are going to jump to Corellia to meet up with General Canderous and the rest of our fleet. We will regroup there and then invade Coruscant" Revan said. There were no arguments, as it was clear that Revan was in no mood for them.

Forty-five minutes later, half of Revan's fleet jumped into hyperspace toward Corellia. Then, Revan finally followed Bastila to their quarters to get a well deserved rest.

* * *

A hooded figure was walking through Korriban. They walked into the cantina and stood in the door, scanning the cantina until a twi'lek was spotted in the corner. The hooded figure approached the twi'lek and sat down at the table with her.

"Can I help you?" the twi'lek asked.

"Are you Yuthura Ban?" the hooded figure asked. It was a woman.

"I am. Obviously you have heard of me, master of the academy" Yuthura said with a smirk. The hooded figure didn't move.

"I want in" the hooded figure said instead. Yuthura laughed.

"There is something about you I can't place. The last one I felt this way about ended up being Lord Revan returning. Does becoming a Sith interest you?" Yuthura asked. The hooded figure stiffened slightly at the mention of Revan, but Yuthura didn't comment on it.

"Yes. You want to accept me into the academy" the hooded figure said sweetly, using the Force to push along her request.

"Yes, I want to accept you into the academy" Yuthura toned out in monotone before she snapped out of it.

"What? How did you do that?" the twi'lek demanded. Suddenly Yuthura was trapped in a stasis field and she felt a weight on her throat, but the hooded figure hadn't moved.

"Enough games! I need to get to Revan. And you are going to let me into the Tomb of Naga Sadow so I can find him" she snapped, her hood falling to reveal long blonde hair and blue eyes on a late twenties young woman.

Yuthura was released and she nodded, leading the human woman out of the cantina into the Sith Academy, wondering what she had gotten in to this time.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Merry Christmas to everybody! I was trying my hardest to get this chapter out before the end of 2017 and I am pleased to say I met my goal. This chapter was a fun one to write, and honestly, I think everybody already knows who came to visit Yuthura. But if you don't, it will be revealed in the next chapter.**

 **I don't know if the hyperspace routes going through Alderaan is legitimate or not, but hey, this is my story so I'm going with it! I hope you enjoyed it and are going to keep with me as I move through the story.**

 **I haven't forgotten about Carth. Or Mission and Zaalbar. Mission will be back in the next chapter. Carth will be back in 3 or 4 chapters most likely. Zaalbar will be back in a couple chapters. The invasion of the Republic has to take precedence over a single companion.**

 **As always, please leave me a review, let me know what you think of this chapter. If there is something you want me to do to make the story better whether format or storyline, let me know. I don't use every idea given to me, but I'm glad to hear from anyone who is in to the story. Thanks again for reading, everyone. Don't forget to leave me that review!**


	6. The Battle of Corellia

**The Battle of Corellia**

Revan hurried to meet Bastila in their quarters. He was exhausted and knew she was as well. They were 6 hours away from Corellia, so he would be able to get a few hours sleep before he had to get up and work with his Admirals on the plans for the invasion of Coruscant.

Before he was able to get to his quarters, he ran in to Mission Vao.

"Avner, can we talk?" Mission asked. He noticed her hanging her head slightly and motioned for her to lead the way. She took him to her quarters and sat down on the couch. Revan sat down at the other end of the couch and looked at her.

"What's this about, Mission?" Revan asked.

"Griff is dead" Mission told him. Revan paused for a moment. He wasn't shocked that Griff was dead, but one thing didn't add up.

"How did you find out about that?" Revan asked.

"I had HK search the imperial records and T3 searched the Republic records. They found that Griff was killed by Exchange bounty hunters on Nar Shaddaa" Mission told him, hanging her head. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"The Smuggler's Moon itself, eh? I'm sorry, Mission. How are you holding up?" he asked instead. She shrugged.

"I'm not surprised Griff is dead honestly. I'm just concerned that I now have nowhere to go after you decide you don't need me anymore" Mission admitted. Revan raised his eyebrow at her. He didn't know if it was the annoyance of her lack of trust or his own lack of sleep, but his question left his mouth before he could stop it.

"Why are you so convinced that I am going to ditch you, Mission?" he asked. She sighed.

"Avner, everybody in my life has left me behind. My parents are dead, Griff left me on Taris and now he is dead. You and Big Z are really all I have left!" she exclaimed, slamming her hands down on the couch at the end.

"Mission, I don't want to send you away. I know you don't agree with everything I am doing, but I really do believe in this invasion. How can you think that I don't need you? There was a reason that I chose you to save us when we were on the Leviathan!" Revan told her. She sighed.

"Yes, and then once I got you out, you put Canderous back in charge!" she snapped. And then it clicked in his head, why she was so upset.

"Mission, everybody on our journey had special skills. I knew that you were the best person to break us out of captivity, but Canderous served right alongside Mandalore himself during the Mandalorian wars. He had been leading troops since before you were born and has been fighting in battles since before me or Bastila were born" Revan told her. She moved to interrupt him, but he was having none of it.

"I know you feel like many of your skills aren't useful right now, but just be patient. Watch us, learn from us. Myself, Bastila, Canderous. We all have a special set of skills, just like you. Without every one of us, we wouldn't be here right now. Trust me" Revan begged.

"I want to be useful, Avner. Canderous is your top general. Bastila is your apprentice. You are you! Big Z at least has his family back on Kashyyyk to go back to. I don't really feel like you, or your Empire, need me" Mission told him.

"Be patient. You'll have things to do once we conquer Coruscant. I promise" Revan told her. She didn't respond right off the bat, so he moved to leave. When he got to the door, however, she interrupted him.

"Wait, one more thing" she said. She waited for him to turn around and look at her before she spoke.

"What are you going to do with Carth?" she asked. His body drooped, and he gave her a sad smile.

* * *

It was many minutes later before Revan was able to leave Mission's quarters, and at this point, he knew he wasn't going to be able to get any sleep. He went back to his quarters to see Bastila sound asleep in their bed. He looked at her with envy before he grabbed his datapad and sat down on the bed next to her.

This time he opened the section talking about the Gray Jedi.

 _Flowing through all, there is balance. There is no peace without a passion to create. There is no passion without peace to guide. Knowledge stagnates without the strength to act. Power blinds without the serenity to see. There is freedom in life. There is purpose in death. The Force is all things and I am the Force._

 _Only with the full use of both sides of the Force can the Star Forge be controlled. It will destroy you otherwise. Malak doesn't understand this, but all my research has indicated such. The light side and the dark side are both two sides of the same coin. Using the entire coin is the only way to use the full potential of the Force. The whole coin, the full extent of your own power, the Star Forge, and the galaxy itself._

 _Convincing Bastila of this will be difficult._

Right then, Revan felt his commlink go off, though it didn't wake Bastila.

"Revan, this is Admiral Makashi, General Ordo has contacted us requesting backup. We are preparing to exit hyperspace. You are needed on the bridge" the Admiral said.

"I'm on my way" Revan replied. He took one last look at Bastila before he left his quarters. He thought about waking her up, but thought against it.

He got to the bridge right after the fleet left hyperspace and they were plunged into a heated battle. Immediately instinct took over.

"Launch the fighters. Give as much support as you can to our cruisers. We now have a 2-1 advantage and I want to keep it! If we can push the Republic toward the planet, we will have them surrounded" Revan ordered. He then looked to Admiral Vass.

"Patch me through to Canderous" he ordered. It was a quick process, but to Revan it felt like years.

"This is Canderous, I'm a little busy at the moment! What is it, boss?" Canderous asked.

"I want to push them toward the planet. Keep them surrounded from our ships first and then to the planet" Revan told him.

"Use the gravity of Corellia against them. You got it, boss" Canderous finished with a smile. Revan ended the transmission and turned back to the viewport and the looking eyes of both Vass and Makashi.

"Well what are you waiting for? You heard the General. Let's get them!" Revan exclaimed. And then the battle raged. But slowly, the Empire forced the Republic forces closer to the planet. It was a long and gruesome battle. Despite the numbers disadvantage, the Republic forces were able to defend better than anticipated.

But then it finally happened. One of the Republic cruisers crashed down to the planet below.

"We've got them now! Don't let them breathe!" Revan ordered. Another Republic cruiser crashed down to the planet. And then another. Revan saw the engine core of one of the cruisers explode.

"Tell the fighters to focus on the command cruiser. Its their only threat left" Revan ordered. Just as he said that, some of the Sith bombers completely disabled the cruiser and it fell to the planet.

The Republic command cruiser didn't last long with the entire might of two Sith fleets attacking it. It was destroyed before it had the chance to fall to the planet. The automatic guns were still taking on the Republic fighters, but Revan finally was able to take a deep breath.

All that was left for the Empire was the Republic capital itself. Coruscant.

Revan left the bridge in control of Makashi as he went to the long-distance communications room.

He called to the Star Forge. A dark-skinned man answered. He looked to be about 20 years older than Revan. He had graying hair, but still stood tall.

"Lord Revan, how can I assist you, sir?" the man asked. He had a very deep voice, almost menacing.

"General Cole, the only system the Republic has left is Coruscant. I need to know how many cruisers are waiting at Coruscant" Revan told him.

"I am running a scan, hold for a moment" Cole told him. It took a few minutes, but Cole came back.

"My scans have picked up 7 Republic cruisers surrounding Coruscant. There are also at least 11 smaller frigates" Cole told him.

Revan swore under his breath. If they attacked Coruscant now, they would be slightly out numbered with frigates, but they had the same number of cruisers. But if they waited, they would lose all the momentum they gained.

"How far out is Admiral Kaas and her fleet?" Revan asked. Cole searched the computer again.

"If you leave for Coruscant now, they will arrive four standard hours after you do. Admiral Verah is only one hour farther away from Coruscant then you are, my Lord" Cole told him.

"Verah is a trigger-happy idiot, General Cole. I don't want him anywhere near Coruscant. I would rather have him waiting on the Star Forge than at Coruscant" Revan told him. Cole let out a hearty deep laugh and shook his head. Revan nodded.

"Thank you General. I will contact you after the battle" Revan told him. Cole bowed, and Revan ended the transmission, only to open a call to Admiral Kaas.

The old woman answered the call and gave Revan a small smile.

"Lord Revan, I didn't expect to hear from you" she admitted.

"Admiral Kaas, I need your fleet. Head to Coruscant. We will be there when you get there" Revan ordered.

"Yes, my Lord. We will be there as soon as we can" she told him. Revan nodded and ended the transmission, heading back out to the bridge.

He chose to leave Vice Admiral Tuff in charge of the occupation force with one cruiser and two frigates worth of troops. When those orders were given, he turned to Admiral Vass.

"How long is the hyperspace trip to Coruscant?" he asked.

"Roughly three and a half hours, Lord Revan" Vass told him.

"Very well, once Vice Admiral Tuff and his crew are clear, we jump for Coruscant" Revan ordered. Once he got word that his orders would be followed, he ran back to his quarters to check on Bastila. He was shocked that she didn't come to the bridge during the battle, but not unhappy about it. Still, he wanted to check on her. And this time he didn't want anything to get in his way.

* * *

Yuthura Ban opened Naga Sadow's tomb and the woman followed her. They walked all the way to the star map before the woman opened it. She downloaded the coordinates and looked at the completed map on her datapad.

"I managed to make it off Dantooine before Alek destroyed it. Such a waste" she muttered. Yuthura didn't respond, only stood at the ready and waited to leave the tomb. The woman let her hair out of her ponytail and her long blonde hair went down to the small of her back.

"You said you know Revan" the woman asked. Yuthura hesitated, but nodded her head.

"Yes, he came here only 15 days ago perhaps? Maybe 20. I'm not sure exactly" the twi'lek explained.

"And he was searching for the map?" the woman asked, starting to walk out of the tomb.

"Yes, he told me that he was already a Sith when he showed up here. I didn't believe him, but I should have" Yuthura said. The woman was silent after that. Yuthura broke the silence.

"You know, Lord Revan tried to use the Force to change my mind when he came here too" Yuthura told him.

"Oh yeah? I'm guessing that didn't go well" the woman asked.

"I felt the push on my mind, but I resisted easily. I never thought it would ever work" Yuthura admitted.

"Don't feel too bad. I'm pretty talented with the Force" the woman said with a smirk. Yuthura didn't say anything, only walking next to the blonde woman.

"Who did he have with him?" the woman asked as they left the tomb. She blinked many times to get used to the blinding sun as Yuthura answered.

"He had an old bald Jedi and a large Mandalorian. Said they were slaves" Yuthura answered. The woman let out a long laugh.

"Revan hates slavers. He was playing you" the woman told Yuthura simply as she pressed a few buttons on her wrist sensor.

"I figured that out after our duel. He spared me and left me in command here" Yuthura explained. The woman shook her head and smiled as a small, one-person ship landed in the valley of the dark lords. She used the Force to jump into the ship and gave Yuthura a small solute before turning toward the controls.

"Wait! Who are you?" Yuthura shouted. After the question, the woman froze for a moment before she turned on the engines. Yuthura thought she wasn't going to get an answer, but the moment before the woman shut the window hatch, it came.

"They call me the Exile, but you might know me as the former General Meetra Surik of the Republic navy. I want my return to be a surprise for Revan, so don't go spoiling it!" she ordered as she flew away, sending a dust storm right in Yuthura's face. When her vision cleared, Yuthura turned back toward the academy.

"I need to start having my drinks delivered" she muttered as she entered through the main doors, ignoring everyone on her way back to her quarters.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm sorry it took so long to get this update out. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to break the screen on my laptop when it was closed. I am posting this on my phone and until I have the money for a new laptop, I will have to do all my writing on my phone as well. But, I digress.**

 **I hope everybody enjoys this chapter and leaves me a review. I don't want to abandon this story, so don't lose hope. I hope to hear from all of you soon, thanks again for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	7. The Road to Coruscant

**The Road to Coruscant**

Revan hustled to his shared quarters with Bastila and rushed in when he got there. He saw Bastila sitting up in the bed. He closed the door and locked it behind him and sat next to her.

"Revan, something is wrong. I feel so much conflict inside me. The light and the dark are at war" Bastila told him, laying her head down on his lap. He looked down at her and saw her eyes closed and saw sweat on her face.

"Bastila, you are stronger than this. You cannot control the Force, but you can assist in balancing it inside you" Revan told her.

"But Malak told me that the light side is weak! That only the most powerful beings can control the dark side! The light is a weakness" Bastila snapped, opening her eyes to glare at Revan.

"Bastila, Malak was wrong. I taught him everything he knows, but not everything I know. Look at my Force signature if you don't believe me" he told her. She looked conflicted for a moment, but she did as he asked after a few moments. She looked at him through the Force and saw the same Force signature that she saw when she released Revan's power bank.

"I see gray, Revan" Bastila told him. He smiled at her and ran his hand through her hair.

"Exactly. I have mastered true balance of the Force. It is the only way to really control the Star Forge, Bas. And the only way to reach your potential as well" Revan told her. He sensed her conflict and ran her hand through her hair one more time.

"I don't know, Revan. I need to think. I need to meditate on this" Bastila admitted, sitting up and giving him a hug.

"Go ahead, Bas. We will be at Coruscant in a few hours. I will need you on the Bridge for the battle" Revan told her. She nodded, and he got up to leave her be.

"Wait! I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay close" Bastila begged. He nodded and sat down on the floor across from her. He used the Force to pull his datapad to him as Bastila started to meditate.

Revan opened his datapad and went to the section titled _My Distant Past_ and started to read.

 _I can't put all my memories into this datapad. I am hoping that recreating my robes on the 2_ _nd_ _level of the Star Forge will help bring back certain memories. These are what I felt were the most important. I didn't put these in any specific order._

' _There must always be a Darth Traya, one that holds the knowledge of betrayal. Who has been betrayed in their heart, and will betray in turn.' Kreia sent that to me back when I was the Lord of the Sith. Whether she was talking about me or the Jedi Council, I have never known. She will be back someday, be wary._

 _I was born on Deralia, taken to the Jedi Order with Meetra. I wasn't old enough to remember anything. She does, but she always refused to tell me about any of it. I don't think it is something she cares to remember, but I know our mother is dead._

 _Without Mandalore's Mask, the clans have no way of unifying. After defeating Mandalore the Ultimate above Malachor V, I took the mask to the planet Rekkiad and hid it in the tomb of an ancient Sith Lord, Dramath the Second. There may come a time in the future where the Mandalorian Clans will be needed again. Perhaps it will be when the True Sith invade, perhaps it will be when we invade the Republic, but the mask is there._

 _When we were young, I started to bring Bastila on adventures with Meetra and Alek. We were a balanced group. Meetra a master of the Force, Alek a bruising swordsman, Bastila the calming presence, and I was the ringleader. Together, we were unstoppable, but only together._

Revan broke from his reading there and thought back to the picture he showed Bastila. Alek was far to the left with Meetra next to him. Revan stood next to his sister with Bastila on the far right, clinging to Revan like a lifeline. He couldn't remember what the occasion was, but he looked longingly at how happy they were back then.

He only had a few more moments to admire it, as his commlink went off.

* * *

Mission Vao was with Zaalbar in their shared quarters and she was just laying on the bed looking up at the ceiling. The conflict was clear on her face and she looked like she had struggled sleeping as well.

"Hey, Big Z? Can I ask you something?" she asked. The wookiee was sitting at the table with three plates of food in front of him. He growled in annoyance and Mission rolled her eyes.

"You can get back to your eight squares a day in a minute. I just want to know one thing" Mission told him. He growled one more time and the teenage twi'lek sat up.

"If you didn't swear a life debt to Avner, would you still be here?" she asked.

"If he didn't rescue me from the gammoreans, I wouldn't be alive right now" Zaalbar told her in his native language.

"I get that, but if you didn't swear a life debt to him would you still have chosen to join him and the Sith?" she asked. Zaalbar let out a small growl.

"I think I would. He saved me from the gammoreans. He saved Kashyyyk from slavers. I think he is worth helping. He isn't like Malak, Mission. He is different" Zaalbar growled.

"Thanks, Big Z. You can go back to your food" she told him. She thought back to the journey they went on and remembered all the nice things she saw Revan do, starting with rescuing Zaalbar and then on Tatooine where he gave 700 credits to a woman to save her and her children, while refusing to keep the wraid plate she tried to sell him. He found her brother in the sand people enclave. But they went from Tatooine right to Kashyyyk. She was held hostage with Zaalbar while Revan the retribution of Kashyyyk. She didn't travel with him on Manaan, he took Bastila and Jolee with him to get the star map.

It was after the Leviathan where things started to change. When he lost Bastila, everything changed. They went to Korriban after that and it was the only planet she wasn't allowed to travel with him. Only Canderous and Jolee went with him. When he came back, she could see the exhaustion on his face. Jolee and Canderous wouldn't tell her what happened, but it sounded like they went through some crazy stuff.

He killed Juhani and Jolee in the Rakata temple and then Carth was beaten near to death for trying to run away. Mission had no idea where Carth was being held or what was going to happen to him.

She closed her eyes and asked herself the same question she had been asking herself since they left that planet for the Star Forge.

"What am I doing here?" she whispered, putting her hands over her eyes and taking a long breath. It was a question she would continue to ask as the fleet approached Coruscant.

* * *

He only had a few more moments to admire it, as his commlink went off.

"This is Lord Revan" he responded. It was Admiral Vass.

"My Lord, we are half an hour away from Coruscant" Vass told him.

"Copy that, we will be on the Bridge as soon as possible" Revan responded. He went to Bastila and pulled her out of her meditation.

"Time to go, Bas. We are approaching Coruscant" Revan told her. He didn't need to use the Force to see the conflict in her face. He put a hand on her cheek and gave her a smile of encouragement. She returned it, but it didn't reach her eyes.

They walked down onto the bridge at the same time. It was quiet, the tension think. Revan smirked and pulled Bastila ahead.

"General Cole informed us that we are slightly outnumbered today, but we have every advantage necessary. With Lord Bastila and her Battle Meditation, we will be able to push the Republic toward the planet" Revan told them.

"My Lord, we still have one frigate that will not last long. We have moved the crew to other cruisers as you have ordered" Vass told him. He nodded.

"Is there still an astromech droid on the ship?" Revan asked.

"Yes, My Lord. I have transmitted your orders" Admiral Makashi told him. Revan looked up at the viewscreen to see less than 60 seconds until the fleet got to Coruscant.

"This is the day we have been waiting for, everyone. Finally, the Republic will fall. Finally, we will be in control of the galaxy. We have fought for this for years and now all our efforts will show the results we desire. Folks, let's give them hell!" Revan exclaimed. 3, 2, 1.

Then the fleet left hyperspace into the biggest firefight since Malachor V.

It was absolute chaos. Bastila had been in many battles and used her Battle Meditation in almost as many. But for the first time, she felt like she was completely overwhelmed. She was in another place mentally and didn't even hear Revan asking her to start her battle meditation.

She was pulled out of her trance when she felt a great disturbance in the Force. Out of nowhere, another Republic fleet pulled out of hyperspace and caught the Sith fleet in pincer formation. Revan started barking orders more ferociously and suddenly he pulled right up to her and shook her shoulders enough to get her to focus on him.

"Start your battle meditation. Give it all you've got" Revan ordered. She knelt instantly and dove deep into the dark side, trying her best to influence the entire battle. But she just couldn't. There were too many ships. She stretched her influence across the entire battle, but the influence she gave the troops wasn't enough.

She was vaguely aware of Revan barking orders to his Admirals. All she was concerned with was the battle. The Sith ships and the Republic ships attacking each other above Coruscant.

" _Bastila, we need more. We can handle 2-1 odds and still be victorious. But, 3-1 is too much. If you can't give me more then we have to retreat_ " Revan said through their bond. Bastila growled and tried to push more power into her Battle Meditation, but it was no use. Bastila couldn't believe it. The Empire would lose this battle, she and Revan would perhaps die, and if that happened the Republic would survive.

She thought back to what Revan was saying earlier about balance. She hesitated. Less than a month ago, she betrayed the Jedi and everything she had been raised to believe. And now she was considering betraying what she betrayed the Jedi for.

In her hesitation, the first Sith cruiser had blown up.

* * *

Revan was looking out the viewport and didn't know what to do. He didn't think the Republic had so many ships left. And he knew they fought a losing battle if Bastila couldn't increase the influence of her Battle Meditation.

He was arguing with himself, unable to decide to retreat or to give Bastila another chance. Republic ships were falling much faster than Sith ships, but the numbers advantage was too much to overcome. The only cruisers that went down so far was the one Sith cruiser and a Republic frigate. Fighters were attacking each other and streaking all around the orbit of the Republic Capital.

Revan couldn't even get in position to execute his plan for the useless frigate. His troops were on the defense and he had no way of countering it. Only Bastila had any shot of changing the course of the battle. If the Sith Empire was going to win, Bastila was going to be the one to give them that opportunity.

Revan felt her start her Battle Meditation and felt the influence increase, but he knew it wasn't going to be enough. They needed more.

* * *

Canderous Ordo was on his command ship surveying the battle when the Republic forces caught them in pincer movement. He loved battle, of course, but that didn't mean Mandalorians were above retreating. His head piece allowed him to be in contact with Revan even when they were on different ships so long as they were in the same system. But, no orders to retreat came.

"Launch fighter screens! Attack what fighters we can. Tell the squadrons to work together. Force the fighters back to the cruisers and then the cruisers back toward the planet!" Canderous ordered. The orders were sent, and he saw fighters exploding all over the battlefield, both Republic and Sith alike.

He could plainly see that they had no chance of pushing the Republic back toward the planet. The enemy numbers advantage was just too great. Canderous was confident though, sure that he would give his life up for Revan if that was what needed to be done. But until then, there was a battle to be fought. 40 years of his life was spent fighting battles across the known galaxy. If this was destined to be his final battle, he was going to go down fighting.

* * *

Revan was getting more and more desperate with every passing moment. He had a choice to make. If Bastila couldn't increase her influence on the battle, he would have to retreat, lick his wounds, and come back another time. He didn't want to do it, but although the Republic forces were falling faster than his ships, it wouldn't be enough.

" _Bastila. If you can't spread your influence further, then we must retreat. Do it now, this is our last chance today_ " Revan said through their bond.

Bastila heard Revan's orders and realized she had to make a choice. Either she kept using the dark side and the battle would be lost or she would have to betray everything she thought was right once again. The fate of this battle and perhaps the galaxy itself was in her hands.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Well you had to know I was going to leave you at a cliff hanger. Even though I'm pretty sure we all know what Bastila is going to do. I will keep the author's note very short this time, merely asking for reviews of encouragement or simply suggestions or a hello. Thank you all for reading and hope to hear from you all sooner rather than later.**

 **I'm forced to write on my phone, so I am really struggling to update like I want to, but this story is not abandoned. Not yet, at least.**


	8. The Throne Room Invaded

**Author's Note: I know it has been a while, but real life has legitimately been taking me to task lately. I have been busier than ever before and see no signs of anything getting less busy anytime soon. This isn't a bad busy, not by any stretch, but it has definitely been a trying time for me. Learning new things, balancing new responsibilities with old. I'm being counted on more than ever before and as a result, my writing time has gone down to a 0.**

 **This chapter skipped two chapters that I had plans for, but I didn't feel right giving up on this story without giving you this chapter. We will talk more after, happy reading.**

* * *

 **The Throne Room Invaded**

Revan was sitting in the Chancellor's office turned throne room on Coruscant. Out of necessity, Revan had taken the Republic capitol building as his HQ in an effort to retain some contiguous government across the galaxy. Certain planets had joined Revan and his empire willingly, but there were other planets that were wary to say the least.

Bastila entered the room and bowed in front of Revan.

"You summoned me, Revan?" Bastila asked. Revan looked down at her and thought about his words for a moment.

"Have you had time to reflect on the battle yet, Bastila?" Revan asked. This time it was her who hesitated.

"I have" Bastila told him, not raising her head.

"And?" he asked. His expression was neutral, but Bastila knew he wasn't upset.

"You were right. I tried to reach further into the dark side and I felt as powerful as normal. Malak told me all throughout my torture that the dark side was strongest, that no Jedi could stand against a Sith" Bastila told him. He didn't say anything, so Bastila continued.

"I kept thinking about what you said, about balance. And I didn't want to believe it because it went against everything I had ever learned from the Jedi and then again from Malak. But this was you, my first friend amongst the Jedi Order" Bastila told him. She paused again, taking a long breath.

"So, I used both sides of the Force. And I felt my strength increase, more than I believed possible. You were right" Bastila told him. Revan reached through their bond and knew that she was telling the truth.

"So, are you ready now to fully be my apprentice?" Revan asked.

"Yes, Master" Bastila said. Finally, the Dark Lord smiled. He stood up and walked over to Bastila and ignited one of his purple lightsabers. He held it in his right hand over her left shoulder.

"You are truly, Darth Bastila. Now, you can finally reach your true potential and experience power you didn't know you had" Revan told her. Then he lifted the lightsaber over her head and put it over her right shoulder.

"As your master, I pledge to train you to the best of my ability. I will hold nothing back. You are my lover first and apprentice second" Revan said. Then, he turned off the lightsaber and attached it back to his belt.

"Rise, my apprentice" Revan ordered. She did so, and he cupped his hand on her cheek as he flashed her a smile.

"Are you ready for your first lesson?" he asked. She nodded, allowing him to step back a few feet.

"The Gray Jedi are something that Kreia taught me about when I was younger. Do you know anything about them? Have you heard their code?" Revan asked. She shook her head to both questions and he took a deep breath.

"Flowing through all, there is balance. There is no peace without a passion to create. There is no passion without peace to guide. Knowledge stagnates without the strength to act. Power blinds without the serenity to see. There is freedom in life. There is purpose in death" Revan told her. But, before he could finish, he was interrupted. But, it wasn't Bastila who interrupted him. Instead, it was a hooded figure in the doorway.

"The Force is all things and I am the Force!" the hooded figure exclaimed. It was a woman's voice. Revan sensed confidence and saw that stance of a warrior.

Both Revan and Bastila instantly turned toward the figure and Bastila ignited her red double saber. She charged at the figure in the door only to be trapped in a stasis field before she could reach her target. The hooded figure didn't even move. Only after Bastila was knocked out of the way by a small blast of the Force did the hooded figure move toward Revan.

"I gave orders that we were not to be disturbed" Revan snapped. The hooded figure stopped 10 feet away from Revan.

"I'll let you know when I care about your orders" the hooded figure replied. Her voice was calm and relaxed, far contrary to Revan's.

Revan extended his hand and shot a prolonged blast of force lightning at her. Instead of moving out of the way, she merely raised her hand and absorbed it as it hit her hand. Revan bit his lip and pulled more of his power into his lightning attack. It didn't even affect the hooded figure. She took all the lightning into her hand and used the force to absorb it just as fast as it got to her. Revan growled and charged his attack, holding it in his hand before shooting it at the hooded figure. But, right before the attack would have hit her, she disappeared.

"Missed me!" she teased. Revan spun around to see the hooded figure 10 feet behind him. Revan was shocked, he had never met anyone before who could teleport, but it was clear that this woman had a knowledge of the Force that exceeded his own.

He ignited one of his twin purple lightsabers and sprinted at the woman, aiming to catch her off guard, but she saw it coming. Before he could get to her, she Force pushed him away. He lost his lightsaber as he rolled back away from her, skidding to a stop near where he started. The woman gave him a smile from under her hood and put her fingers close together, clearly saying that he was close but not quite.

At that point, Bastila ran past him and flew at the woman. Bastila landed two feet away and took a swing with her lightsaber, aiming to cut the head of the invader. But, when the lightsaber was an inch away from the woman's neck, it stopped. Bastila reached to the Force to move the blade, but it was no use. The woman raised her hand and used the Force to push out at Bastila, sending her head over heel, stopping right at Revan's feet. The lightsaber never moved as Bastila flew back. The woman grabbed the blade out of the air and shook her head.

"A crudely made weapon. Who constructed this, an ewok?" the woman teased. Bastila got to her knees and the woman tossed her lightsaber back to her and Bastila caught it. She stood up next to Revan and he put his hand on her shoulder quickly before releasing it.

"Who are you?" Revan demanded.

The hooded figure pulled their hood away. Immediately, Revan recognized her from the picture in his quarters.

"What are you doing here, Meetra?" Revan asked. The tension in his voice was clear. He didn't know what she was doing and what her plan was, so until proven otherwise, she was an enemy.

"Oh, just came to pay you a little visit. Its not every day that you learn that your Dark Lord of the Sith baby brother conquered the Republic" she told him. She attached a teasing tone when she called him the Dark Lord and Revan took a deep breath.

" _Revan, I recognize her from the temple. The Council called her the Exile_ " Bastila said through their bond. He didn't respond. He wouldn't even take his eyes off her.

"And do you come as an ally or an enemy?" Revan asked. She laughed and shook her head.

"Well, I think that would be up to you" she told him. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.

" _Bastila, follow my lead. Be ready for lightning_ " Revan said through their bond. He waited a few moments and then shot lightning out of both of his hands. Bastila dropped her lightsaber and shot lightning out of both her hands as well. The power of the attack sent Meetra sliding back across the throne room, but she stayed on her feet.

Revan and Bastila kept the attack going as long as they could, engulfing Meetra with as much lightning as they could before they couldn't keep up the attack any longer. It took her a few moments longer than when Revan attacked her, but again Meetra absorbed all the lightning sent at her from the two Sith.

When the lightning was gone, Meetra glared at the two. Revan expected a counter attack, but it never came.

"Is this what you really want, little brother? Do you desire me as your enemy?" Meetra demanded.

"You invade my throne room! You give me no reason to trust you and now you expect me to believe that you want to be allies?" Revan exclaimed. Meetra let out a chuckle.

"I ask you again. Do you desire me as your enemy?" Meetra asked.

"If you are not here to join the Sith or the Empire, then why are you here?" Revan asked instead. Bastila stood strong next to him, readying herself for a fight.

"I am here to find out what you are doing. You have conquered the galaxy. Are you done?" Meetra asked. Revan hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"All we can do now is stabilize the Empire. The galaxy is mine" Revan told her.

"What about the unknown regions?" she asked.

"What is to gain by expanding to the unknown regions? Nebulas and uncharted territory? I have nothing to gain from pushing my forces into that territory" Revan answered. It was the answer he had prepared for the press, but when Meetra rolled his eyes, he knew it wasn't good enough.

"You know the secret to running a convincing bluff, Revan. But, I have known you your entire life. I changed your diapers before we went to the Jedi. I know all your tricks and all your tells. I know when you are lying" Meetra told him. Revan put his hand on his remaining lightsaber, but Meetra laughed and shook her head.

"That won't be necessary. I now know all that I need to know. I have other things that I need to do, but don't you worry, you will be seeing me again before too long" Meetra told them. She started to walk toward them at that point, as they were standing between her and the only exit. Bastila put her hand on her lightsaber as Meetra walked through them, intentionally knocking into Bastila with a shoulder first before knocking into Revan right after. She got to the door and turned around quickly to see Revan and Bastila both with hands still on lightsabers.

"One more thing before I go, Revan, if you would indulge me" Meetra asked. Revan gave her a curt nod.

"Don't ever forget the debt you owe me, little brother. It will not go unpaid for much longer" Meetra told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"What debt would that be?" Revan asked. Meetra laughed heartily at that.

"You really don't remember? That's so cute. How far you have fallen" Meetra teased, wiping a fake tear out of her eye.

"Either tell me what debt I supposedly owe you or just leave my throne room. I don't have time for these games" Revan snapped.

"Malachor" Meetra said simply.

"What are you talking about?" Revan demanded. His sister started to laugh, shaking his head at him.

"You mean, you don't remember? You don't remember how you left me with the mass shadow generator while you went to Mandalore's command ship? How you chased glory and left me to have my connection to the Force severed, seemingly permanently? You don't remember how you left me to command the battle, the final battle, so you could challenge Mandalore?" Meetra told him. He was silent, didn't know what to say. Meetra shook her head.

"You did what you had to do at the time. I'm not mad at you for that, but you didn't take me with you to the unknown regions. You know why I go by the Exile! It isn't because of the Jedi Council. I am an Exile because of you!" Meetra snapped, sparks exploding out of her hands. But her anger was not the greatest in the room.

Incensed, Revan gathered all his power and launched a force wave at Meetra. After a fraction of moment, Bastila did the same thing, joining her power with her Master's. Meetra put her head down and used the Force to block their attack. She used the Force to counter their attacks and when all their attacks ceased, Meetra was left standing with her hand on her hips while both Revan and Bastila were knocked on their backsides.

"I will be back, my Lord" Meetra snapped, throwing as much sarcasm as she could on Revan's title. She turned on her heel and left the throne room, leaving a livid Revan on his knees next to a shocked Bastila.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I am very proud of this chapter, despite the lack of humor I was able to include. As I said in the original author's note, there is no way for me to keep writing given my current circumstances. I won't go into detail here, but there are a few of you (who know who you are) that I have been talking to as I have been writing this story and some even before that. To all of you, I do apologize for not being able to finish this story as I intended; I have a habit of doing things like this it seems.**

 **I'm not unhappy with how my life has turned out. I am actually quite pleased with the results to say the least. I don't particularly like how this story has been abandoned as so many of my previous ones have, but here I am doing it again.**

 **To all reading this, I want to say thank you. Your encouragement has helped me to keep writing and writing was one of the things that at times helped me through fits of depression. I doubt this is goodbye forever. There's no telling what will come in the future and I might start writing one-shots as I get more used to the way my life has turned recently. I will still be responding to direct messages; I won't be forgetting about that.**

 **this isn't goodbye, but it's time for me to take my leave. I'll see you soon, but if not, I'll see you later. And for those of you who have been with me all these years, for myself and for our favorite couple, and all the rest of these characters who impacted our lives, keep your stick on the ice.**


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